


In the Light of the Sun

by HyperKid



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Multi, Other, cuddle puddle, that’s it that’s the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22691605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Jester and Caduceus have been hard at work on their daylight jars all week, and it’s time to hang them. It turns out to be a bit more a group effort than expected.
Relationships: Beau & Yasha & Jester & Caleb & Fjord & Caduceus & Nott, Beau/Yasha/Jester/Caleb/Fjord/Caduceus, Polynein, Yeza/Nott
Comments: 16
Kudos: 101





	In the Light of the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Mollymauk: You’re supposed to be going to bed earlier.   
> HK: I’m supposed to be doing a lot of things.   
> Mollymauk: Fair. Go the fuck to sleep.   
> HK: .... Look I have a compulsion, I can’t finish a thing and not post it unless it’s for Magic Lube Thursdays?   
> Mollymauk: The fuck. To sleep. I’m tired too y’know.   
> HK: I’m bad at that part though...   
> Mollymauk: You owe me a cuddle pile next. With or without Caddy, I’m not fussy, but this is my official request.   
> HK: I will literally never turn down a cuddle puddle. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Some language, some dumbass ideas, lots of snug 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one but I think we’re up to three Critters to bid for Molly’s backstory?

Getting a house in Xhorhas brought the Mighty Nein their first weeks of peace since... well, since the sea, if that could be counted as peace. Different members of the group took the down time differently. 

Fjord fortified his room. 

Nott lost herself in reconnecting with her husband. 

Caleb buried himself in books. 

The clerics, though... the clerics didn’t do well with having nothing to do. Jester began with small gestures, locking herself in Yasha’s room for a couple of days to cover the walls in flowers. 

Caduceus may potentially have heard the phrase “go big or go home” and taken it as an instruction. He went big and made the place a home. 

Of course, he needed a little help to make his garden sustainable, and Jester was more than thrilled to give it. 

While Yasha saw to watering and feeding the plants sewn in those first days, the clerics went to work in Caleb’s lab. Occasionally Caleb would poke his head in to see what they were doing, or offer his advice. More often, he had to duck out quickly as fumes, flashes of light, or strong smells threatened to overwhelm him. 

It took most of a week for them to refine a Daylight spell into a long series of jars. 

***

Jester sealed the cap on the last jar and flopped back in her seat, grinning tiredly at Caduceus. Her hair was a greasy mess, her face sweat stained and bags under her eyes, her whole posture slumped and exhausted. To be fair, the firbolg looked no better. They’d been focused on little else for days. 

“Well, we’ve done it!” The tiefling sighed, her head dropping back. “I think my eyelids are made of lead now.” 

Caduceus chuckled softly, taking the last glowing jar and carefully looping rope around it to attach it to a string. 

“We did good. We should be able to hang them all tomorrow and then we’ll have a real garden!” 

Jester cracked open an eye to pout at him. 

“Tomorrooooow? But they’re so pretty! Can’t we do it now?” Almost to undermine her words, her stomach gurgled loudly. Cheeks flushing faintly purple, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “Maaaaaybe after we eat.” 

Caduceus’ stomach gave a matching groan and the firbolg shook his head, a wry smile on his face. It wasn’t the first time he’d neglected physical needs for his work; it probably wouldn’t be the last. 

“Come on, let’s get to the kitchen. We can snack while I make a proper dinner for everyone, then bed. We should probably get some sleep too before scrambling about in the tree.” 

Sighing dramatically like he’d stolen Sprinkle, Jester pushed herself back from the workbench. 

“I guess... I’ll go ask the others if they want something to eat?” 

“Just tell them I’m cooking,” Caduceus corrected with a gentle smile. He was well aware just how crap the Nein were at taking care of themselves. 

That Yeza had taken some initiative to cook for him, Nott, and the rest had been a welcome surprise. 

Jester nodded and sighed, arching her back and stretching out sore, tired muscles. A loud series of cracks made her pause, pulling a face. 

“Okay, that kinda sounds really bad...” 

Without a word, Caduceus reached solemnly over and booped her nose, a first level Cure Wounds buzzing across her skin. The tiefling dissolved immediately into giggles and leaned over to press a smooch to his cheek. 

“Thaaaaaanks, Caduceus!” It hadn’t done anything since neither of them had actually been injured, but she returned the gesture anyway. It had been a long day. 

The firbolg gave her a soft smile and hauled himself to his feet, stretching out his own back. Another series of cracks and pops made Jester giggle, and she hopped up onto the bench to boop him on the nose too. 

“Sounds like you haven’t been taking care of yourself either,” she teased and the firbolg laughed. 

“I don’t think either of us have been, but we can make up for that now. Shall we go have some food?” 

“Something quick, I think,” Jester agreed as she made her way to the door, “like sandwiches maybe?” 

“Sandwiches would be nice,” Caduceus agreed, frowning pensively as he followed her down towards the kitchen. It was abandoned, and Jester made her way to the window to frown out at the sky. 

“Do you think it’s night time? It’s really hard to tell...” 

Caduceus gave the sky a thoughtful frown too, already looking through their stores of food. 

“It might be? Maybe if you find Caleb he could tell you?” 

Jester perked up immediately at the idea, hurrying back to the kitchen door again. 

“That’s a really good plan! And I’ll tell everyone we’re making food, too, just in case they didn’t eat yet,” she decided happily, clapping her hands together. Caleb would almost certainly be in his library or study, so he at least would be easy to find. 

** 

Getting to everyone did take a little while, since no one but Caleb had any idea how to tell the time in a darkened Xhorhasian sky, and therefore had no idea when stores would be open. Caleb did tell them that it was an hour or so before the real sunset, which made the meal their dinner. 

Most of the Nein were happy to be summoned for someone else making food, and dinner was a pleasant affair. They caught up with what each had been doing over the two weeks of their down time, told jokes, and by the end of the meal Jester at least had a whole new spring in her step. 

“Let’s set up the lights now! The plants probably really really need them,” she bounced a little in place, eager to get going. 

On his way to his room, Caduceus paused, thinking. His muscles still ached, though not with the same intensity. Moving around to cook had loosened most of them up and he was already feeling better. And it had been more than a week since the tree had had proper light, with their spells being diverted to making the jars instead of periodic feeding. 

And he did really wanna see how it would look lit up. 

Shaking his head with a fond smile, he changed direction to head for their workroom. 

“Yeah, okay. We can at least do a couple of them before bed.” 

Thrusting both fists into the air Jester cheered excitedly, spinning as she led the way to the lab. 

“Hooray! They’re going to be sooooooo pretty!” 

And so, arms filled with glowing jars, they made their way up into the rooftop garden. This was mostly empty as well, though it wasn’t much of a surprise this time. The group was doing their best to keep to a normal day night rhythm for when they had to leave Rohsona, and that pretty much meant going to bed whenever Caleb said it was night time. 

It was fucking difficult, and most of their natural rhythms were slowly creeping apart, especially as they all split about their different tasks. 

They’d probably have to travel outside the darkness soon, if only for mental health reasons. Those, though, Caduceus hoped the sunshine jars would help with. 

Jester certainly seemed to be perked up, her arms filled with glowing jars as she all but danced through the garden. 

“We can hang them through the tree branches so they light all of the flowers! They’ll look just like decorations and they’re so pretty!”

Looking up into the branches stretching out above them, Caduceus couldn’t help but smile. 

“The only question is how we’ll get them up there...” the tree was sixty feet tall after all, and even the lowest branches were at least ten feet from the ground. 

Beside him, Jester frowned upwards for a moment, weighing the question. Then she brightened. 

“I mean... you could do me a boost? Or toss me up!” 

“And the lights?” Caduceus asked, just the littlest bit dubious. He didn’t want to break all of their fine work. 

Pretty much the same thought must have gone through Jester’s mind and she pulled a face. 

“Alright... maybe we go find a ladder...” she said slowly, reluctant to have another step added to the plan. 

Some of the same reluctance spread to Caduceus and he frowned up at the tree again, considering. 

“I mean... so long as you climb up carefully and bring them up with you... or if you could lean down I could pass them up to you?” He suggested, trying to work out distances and angles. 

Jester brightened immediately, dumping her end of the string of lights carefully onto the ground. 

“I could wind it round my body like a mountain climber!” 

The image brought a grin to Caduceus’ lips as well and he nodded, setting his own pile down gently. 

“So long as we get you up a little way out from the trunk, that should work just fine.” 

If someone else had been there, they might have pointed out some of the other multitude issues with that plan. So it may have been for the best that they weren’t. 

Doing things safely was never really as fast. 

**

Yasha found her way up to the roof an hour or so after dinner when sleep still eluded her. She had a feeling for when it wasn’t going to come, and lying in bed wouldn’t draw it out faster. 

Some time in the peace of the garden might help, and if it didn’t... well, the plants wouldn’t mind. 

She wasn’t expecting to find anyone else either, or the amount of light now filling their little rooftop, but the sight of Caduceus at the base of the tree explained things enough for her. Magic was clearly involved. 

What else mattered? 

The fact that he was frowning up into the branches, for one thing. About to call out, ask what he needed, or see if she could help, Yasha was distracted by a delighted shout. 

“YASHA!” 

Both of Yasha’s arms shot out on automatic and she looked up just as a branch cracked, sending a blurred blue tiefling dropping towards her. Two steps to the right and she caught Jester, trailing lights and giggling. 

Caduceus hurried up, one hand ready to go with a healing spell and looking equally worried between her and the lights. 

“Are you okay?” He asked as he looked between the two. 

Pushing herself up enough to sit in Yasha’s grip, Jester wrapped her arms around the brawny woman’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her cheek. 

“Just fine! Thanks Yasha!” 

Fighting back her own wave of nostalgia, Yasha managed a choked smile. 

“What were you doing?” She asked quietly, looking back up the rope that marked Jester’s descent. She’d have thought it was for safety, if not for the lighted jars tied every few feet. 

Perfectly happy not to be put down, Jester raised one of the jars still wrapped around her. 

“I’m setting up the Daylight jars we made for the garden! Want to help?” 

A somewhat more metaphorical light clicked on behind Yasha’s eyes. Before she could ask, Caduceus cut in. 

“Probably not in the tree, but I think you’ve just proved you could be helpful if Jester falls?” 

Yasha’s smile grew a little more strained. 

It had been... a while since she’d dealt with tieflings randomly dropping out of the sky. One in particular that she’d never have to catch again. Her grip tightened just a little on Jester. 

“Yeah, I can do that.” 

For a moment she thought they’d ask. But she’d forgotten that Caduceus was never one to push, and Jester already knew. Leaning up, Jester framed pale cheeks in her hands and pressed another soft kiss to Yasha’s lips. 

“Toss me back up?” 

And the way Caduceus hurried to stop them was enough of a distraction that Yasha’s smile was almost real as Jester stood on one of her hands to clamber back into the tree. 

** 

Beau had been drawn up by Jester’s shout, though she did take the time to get dressed again first. Not a guarantee, with the Mighty Nein. 

By the time she reached the roof, Jester had disappeared into the branches once more, leaving only Yasha and Caduceus in the garden. That wasn’t exactly an unusual sight, but it didn’t explain the shouting. 

Yasha’s gaze was fixed somewhere in the branches, and she kept moving slowly around the branches. Expecting it to be Frumpkin, Sprinkle, or possibly even Nugget, Beau followed her gaze. 

Double took. 

“What the fuck?” 

This time Jester didn’t wobble as she turned, both hands braced carefully on a higher branch. 

“Oh, hey Beau!” She called happily as Caduceus and Yasha both turned to face her. 

Beau’s mouth opened and closed a few times, searching for words. All she could come up with was, 

“Someone screamed?” It sounded weak even to her, but at least no one was visibly injured. 

Up in the tree, Jester nodded cheerfully and unwound another jar from around her body. 

“Oh yeah! I fell out of the tree. But Yasha caught me!” 

Still moving around below her, Yasha gave Beau a quick smile. 

“We are hanging the Daylight jars so the garden can get some sun,” she explained a little further. There was an odd sense of pride in the words; most magic was beyond Yasha and she certainly couldn’t have helped with making the jars, but being able to help hang them still felt like being involved. 

The flowers needed the sunlight and Jester needed the back up, and it was nice to have something productive to do. 

It was a similar reason that made Beau take a few steps closer to the garden, examining the tree sceptically. 

“You need any help?” 

** 

Fjord was actually fetched by Caduceus. 

Getting Beau up into the tree didn’t present any actual problems - Yasha just tossed her into the branches and let her find her way. But as she unwound the other end of the lights from Jester, Yasha hovering under them both, Caduceus realized that it might help to have a little more backup once they separated. 

So he nipped downstairs, checking the half orc’s room and finding him half in his nightshirt. Fjord was more than happy to accompany him back upstairs, mildly puzzled and completely aware it’d be faster to just go look than to try and understand Caduceus. 

By the time they rejoined the girls, Yasha was hovering worriedly half way between each, her arms out and ready to dart to either side. Clearly Beau had finished unwinding a section of the lights and now had the jars tied around her own body as she moved. Apparently Beau, skinnier and more agile, was going to handle the higher branches while Jester stuck a little closer to the tree trunk and the ground. 

Yasha looked around in relief at the sound of the door, her attention instantly snapping back up to the two in the tree as though only her gaze kept them from falling. Fjord didn’t even ask, making his way carefully through the plants to stand beneath the monk and nodding to Yasha. 

“You get Jester, I’ll keep an eye on Beau.” 

Really, what could he have asked? 

**

It was Jester’s second cut off scream that dragged Caleb up to join them. The first, well, that hadn’t been punctuated by a thud, and Jester could be dramatic. A second? 

That bore investigation, even if he had been preparing to sleep. Pausing just long enough to tug on a long nightshirt, Caleb hurried to the roof just in time to watch Yasha toss Jester back up into the tree branches. 

His jaw dropping, he made his way carefully from the stair to where Fjord was carefully moving through the garden, his own eyes high in the branches. 

“Fjord... what’s going on?” Caleb asked a little weakly, belatedly looking up to try and catch sight of what Fjord was watching. 

The half orc in question glanced around and then looked straight back up, a slight smile on his lips. 

“Honestly, Caleb? No idea. Deuces came and got me to come help an’ now I’m makin’ sure Beau doesn’t fall and break her ass.” 

“Don’t need your help,” came a familiar yell from the tree just as Caleb caught sight of a flash of blue. Fjord just grinned and shrugged, both arms held away from his body just in case. 

“Jester’s fallen twice now.” 

“I’m not a monk though,” Jester called from her own spot tying off the end of another set of rope, giggling to herself as the glass jars swayed. 

Up the tree, Beau gestured vaguely in her general direction, wobbled, and caught her balance almost aggressively. 

Like hell she was gonna fall just after saying she wouldn’t. 

Caleb’s mouth opened and closed a few times, then he sighed and turned. 

“One minute. I will go and get a feather.” 

“Don’t need your help either,” Beau yelled defiantly without looking down, carefully unhooking another length of rope to hang. 

Not bothering to answer verbally, Caleb flipped off her general direction and kept going. 

They probably weren’t going to quiet down, and he might as well be involved. It didn’t look like they were even half done with the light jars the clerics had made. 

** 

By the time Nott and Yeza made their way to the roof, things had mostly settled into a routine, and in fact most of the jars had already been hung. 

Leaving Beau and Jester to argue about who’d go out onto the smallest branches to hang the last line at the very edge of the garden. 

“I can just use Mage Hand,” Caleb called up tiredly from his spot beside Caduceus, everything from words to posture resigned as he slumped against the tree trunk. 

He was completely ignored, not for the first time, and Caduceus gave him a gentle squeeze. 

“Next time they fall out of the tree we can switch,” the large cleric offered quietly, and Caleb had to hide a smile. 

“Next time they fall they’ll probably break branches,” he pointed out, not as quietly but not really loudly either. It was... nice to be doing things as a group again, especially something with no real or drastic consequences. 

He wasn’t about to try and get in the way of that with things like facts or logic. They certainly wouldn’t thank him. 

Luckily both of the tree bound spotted Nott quite soon after she arrived, and the goblin was quickly persuaded to help. 

This did wind up taking the form of her Mage Hand hanging the last of the lanterns, but Caleb was gracious enough not to comment as the cheerful congratulations began. No one was exactly surprised when Jester decided to celebrate by stepping directly off her branch and dropping straight down, least of all Yasha... which was fortunate, since the barbarian was already braced to catch her. 

Fjord gave Beau his very best stern, startled look from ground level, both his arms already rising as if to contradict his words. 

“Fucking don’t.” 

Beau had definitely been thinking it, but she relented. And just maybe took an excuse to show off as she hopped athletically down the tree, tapping lightly from branch to branch until she could land in a crouch on the ground beside Fjord. Her muttered “spoilsport” could have easily been missed so he chose to ignore it. 

Still in Yasha’s arms, Jester tossed her own gladly around her aasimar friend and squeezed her tightly. 

“Thanks, Yasha! You’re such a great help!” Throwing her head back, she beamed up into the glowing branches of the massive tree. A sigh of contentment slipped free as she snuggled into the larger woman. “The garden looks so pretty now.” 

“It really does,” Yasha agreed softly, her own gaze drifting skyward to appreciate the soft, glowing Daylight. For just an instant the two settled together, soft smiles under the sun’s warmth. 

It had been... a while since any of them had seen the sun. Yeza especially was basking in it, staring up in awe at the gleaming jars. He probably wasn’t even aware of the slow steps he was taking towards the nearest light, far above his head, until he nearly tripped over the raised edge of one of Caduceus’ garden boxes. 

Nott took his hand, a gentle smile on her face. 

“Shall we stay a while?” 

They’d been about to go to bed, almost all of them really, but... night or not, warm or cold, almost two weeks of constant night had left a defined urge for daylight. Barely able to look at his wife rather than staring into the heart of it, Yeza nodded eagerly. Longer than all the others, he’d barely even seen the light since he’d been snatched in Felderwin. 

The drow had wasted no time in hurrying the alchemist who’d seen their beacon home. 

Taking his hand gently, Nott guided him along the garden path towards the base of the tree where Caleb and Caduceus were sitting. Beau and Fjord exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed suit. 

“I didn’t have anything better to do,” Beau mumbled, still worried about saving face. Fjord couldn’t help but smile as he recognized the impulse; he was doing his best to get past it himself. 

“Nothing wrong with a little before bed relaxation,” he agreed with a short nod. 

Jester and Yasha already had a head-start on the cuddling and the barbarian saw no reason to put her cuddly cleric down before making her way to the building group. Jester certainly did nothing to persuade her, snuggling first into Yasha’s arms and then stretching her legs across Caduceus and Caleb and Yasha settled beside the firbolg. Tugging Beau in close with her tail, Jester sighed happily. 

“We did a really good job these last two weeks, you guys,” she declared happily, head resting on Yasha’s chest. 

A slight smile on her face, one of Yasha’s hands found its way to Jester’s hair as she looked down at her. 

“You have been very busy,” she pointed out fondly, thinking back to her new mural full of flowers. Her thoughts following much the same direction, Jester wriggled happily and gave her a squeeze. 

“I have! It’s actually been really nice to have something creative to do instead of just running around and fighting all of the time.” 

“It’s good to create something occasionally,” Caduceus agreed with a soft smile, draping his arms around Yasha, Beau, and Caleb to give them a squeeze. 

Yeza was a little hesitant to approach the group at large, his attention shifting from the light back to the rather large mercenary group as they drew closer. Nott wasn’t having any of it, her fingers curling more tightly through his and she gave him her best attempt at a comforting smile, her lips pressed tightly closed over jagged teeth. 

“It’s okay, baby... these are my friends. The blue one’s a little touchy feely but no one’s going to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.” 

“Unless it’s like, funny uncomfortable,” Jester put in with a giggle, entirely unhelpfully. 

Yeza hesitated a moment longer, eyes locking with his wife’s. With a visible effort he pulled up a smile and nodded. 

“Okay.” Stepping closer to the group was probably one of the bravest things any of the Nein had seen in a while, and just another indication of how this halfling man had won himself a wife in Nott the Brave. 

Nott pulled him down beside Caleb, at the outer edge of the building cuddle pile with herself as a buffer. As Yeza cautiously sat Caleb offered him a small smile. 

“You don’t have to cuddle in if you don’t want to,” he told the smaller man softly, nodding towards the rest of the group. “We tend to take care of ourselves.” 

A moment of visible confusion furrowed Yeza’s brows, and he just as visibly shook it off to give Caleb a smile in return. 

“Oh, it’s fine. I don’t wanna get in the way if this is a thing you guys do as a group.” 

“It’s ~definitely~ a thing we do as a group,” Jester agreed emphatically, pushing up in Yasha’s lap to give the halfling a broad grin, “cuddle up to Caleb! Caduceus gives the very best hugs but Caleb’s are real good too.” 

In between them Caduceus’ ears perked up and a warm, genuine smile spread across his face. 

“Aw, Jester, that’s real sweet of you to say.” 

“You’re giant and fluffy,” Beau cut in with a snort, reaching around Yasha to give his arm a playful poke... and leaving said arm draped over Yasha’s shoulders, “you’d have to do something pretty dreadful to ~not~ give amazing hugs!” 

“One might almost call it cheating,” Fjord agreed with a low chuckle, tucking himself up to Beau’s other side. 

Possibly the biggest indication of how far they'd come as a group was the way she shifted to allow him space, leaning back into him just a little. 

And yeah, maybe Fjord got just a little mushy over it. 

What of it. 

It all worked very well to keep attention away from Nott and Yeza’s side of the pile, which worked out pretty well for the halfling. He spent a couple more moments wondering what context he might be missing out on, what strange things his wife got up to with her new friends. 

The moment where he decided it didn’t really matter was pretty blatant as he leaned in, wrapping his arm around Nott as much as he could and reaching for Caleb too. 

“I am very grateful to all of you,” he told the wizard quietly, not wanting to interrupt the others as they debated Caduceus’ various cuddling abilities. 

Caleb hesitated a moment, then nodded and wrapped his arm around both of the smaller pair. 

“It was all Nott... Veth. We just came along for the ride.” 

Yeza cut him off with a gentle smile and shook his head. 

“No... you didn’t have to come at all. But you did, and you set me free, and you got our son to safety. That means a lot.” 

A brief moment of localized silence followed, Caleb awkward as always in the face of genuine gratitude. 

“We... will get you to him as soon as we can too,” he mumbled, gaze shifting to Jester’s bare feet in his lap. 

Nott nodded emphatically, pressing her cheek to Yeza’s for a brief moment before remembering her condition and pulling away. 

Yeza followed, maintaining the contact. 

“Yes... we should get you both safe,” Nott mumbled, her cheeks flushing under his touch. 

“And you?” Yeza asked quietly, one of his hands sliding into hers. 

There didn’t seem to be an easy answer to that question. But he didn’t push; having only just learned that his wife was alive at all, he understood why she’d stayed away. Why she couldn’t just come back to Felderwyn, looking like she did. 

Even if he didn’t care what shape she wore, he respected intrinsically that she did. Respected her choice. 

And was more than happy just to have this time in the sunlight to hold her close. 

** 

Despite the lateness of the hour or perhaps because of it, none of the Nein seemed willing to stir for several hours. They’d had a good meal, about half had had some exercise in and around lighting the tree. They were all taking advantage of the time to tuck in close. 

Just being together, warm and alive and under... well, a version of the sun, finally meant having breathing space. 

They’d done the impossible. 

Crossed Empire and Dynasty, got Yeza back alive. Kept themselves alive. 

Got a fucking house, which was an entirely new experience for almost all of them. Planted a tree on that house (which neatly topped it up as a new experience all round). And now here they were, bringing light to the darkness and cultivating a garden. 

On their roof. 

Jester was more than happy to nestle in to whoever was closest, tucking herself tight and just relaxing into their warmth around her. And, after months of her cuddliness... yeah, maybe it was reassuring to Beau too. To Fjord, and Caleb, and Yasha, being able to feel their friends around them. 

Caduceus had always been just as much a cuddle bug, and his arms were long enough to be able to hold pretty much all of them at once. Soft enough that none of them were going to miss an opportunity to snuggle up to his side. 

Gradually even the teasing dropped off, bickering and banter falling into a gentle, almost warm quiet. Not quite holy, there was nonetheless something reverent in the atmosphere that both clerics recognized. Something special. What conversation did come was softer now, voices lower and more intimate. Even that was sporadic with long pauses where they could just... be. 

As usual, it was Jester who offered the most. 

“I really love you guys, you know?” 

It came almost out of nowhere, silence having taken over once more as they shuffled just a little further together. There wasn’t even space for Frumpkin between most of them now. The wistfulness in her voice caught everyones’ attention, added weight to what was normally a light hearted remark. 

Beau slipped a hand into Jester’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“We know. An’ I love you too.” 

“And me,” Fjord added, tucking up to Beau’s shoulder to get his arm all the way to Caduceus’ shoulder and Caleb’s hand, “for all of you.” 

For a moment, all attention shifted to Nott, wondering if she was going to protest. Yeza may not have understood why but he could feel their focus. 

The goblin woman just nodded, fingers threading through her husband’s. 

“Same. This is... you’re all the best family I could have asked for.” A small smile on her lips, her gaze shifted to Yeza. “You’ve brought me back the one that matters.” 

To his credit, the halfling didn’t wait a moment to lean in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. 

“Your family is our family,” he told her gently, then smiled around the group at large. “Thank you. Again.” 

“This is great,” Caduceus declared abruptly, a warm smile on his lips. He’d be the first to admit that he’d been... struggling? Trying his best to keep them together, a cohesive unit through all the stress from the journey at sea, which had immediately transitioned into the stress of their journey to Xhorhas. 

Wrapping his arms around everyone, Yeza included, he pulled them all into a tight hug. 

“I definitely love all of you guys.” 

There were a couple of startled noises, some protests at the pull, but no one tried to move away. It took Yasha a little effort to extricate her other arm to wrap around them as well but she managed. 

“You all are... the only family I have,” she admitted quietly, not meeting anyones’ gaze as they were all smushed together. Immediately Jester wriggled around to press a kiss to each of her cheeks. 

“And you’ll always have us,” she told the aasimar firmly, tail wrapping tight around Yasha’s waist. 

“I think we can all agree that is inevitable now,” Caleb murmured, now pressed almost into Caduceus’ lap, “you know far too much for us to risk letting you go.” 

Which lead to a bit of an awkward moment honestly. Given what they all knew of Caleb in particular. 

But it was his face Yasha looked into, an almost heartbreakingly sad smile on her face. 

“I will certainly not ask you to try,” she promised with a solemn nod. Caleb nodded in return, his own arm tightening for a moment around Caduceus’ chest. 

“You are all... very important to me.” 

He couldn’t quite say the word yet. Not love. Not with all the weight it carried. 

But that was alright, and after a minute Caduceus relaxed his grip enough for them all to settle back into place. No further apart, but their weight all their own once more. No one was willing to push for any more than the others were comfortable with. 

And really, how much could exact words matter when actions said it all? 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: Goodnight everyone! Happy Thursday!


End file.
